Thursday, January 06, 2005

Bush contributes money to tsunami victims

In a speech on legal issues in Collinsville, Ill., Bush praised the U.S. military for its "heroic work" in assisting tsunami victims and urged Americans to continue to open their wallets.

"The most important contribution a person can make is cash," Bush said. "There's huge generosity here in America."

Scott McClellan, White House press secretary, told reporters traveling with Bush to Illinois that the president -- himself a multimillionaire -- has written checks to several organizations listed on a Web site set up to direct Americans to various reputable charities collecting private contributions for tsunami relief. McClellan would not identify the organizations to which Bush contributed.

Bush has been criticized for not acting quickly enough to provide U.S. funds and other federal assistance to countries hit by the catastrophic Dec. 26 tsunami that killed nearly 150,000 people and devastated Indian ocean communities across southern Asia.